Now that Sony has finally unveiled the PS5 Pro, packed with a more powerful GPU – and little else – I’ve taken a look at the specs to see what an equivalent gaming PC would look like. And, well, you can build a machine using practically the same exact hardware for just a bit more than buying the new, more expensive, console. I know, I know, the PS5 Pro is already expensive, but having one of the best gaming PCs is useful for more than just video games – and it’ll be supported much longer than Sony will support its console, too. If you'd like to dip your toes in PC gaming instead, here are the parts I've picked out to build a PC roughly equivalent to the PS5 Pro.
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
CPU
AMD AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor that’s perfect for gaming.
While the AMD Zen 2 microarchitecture behind the PS5 Pro is old news at this point, it’s still an incredibly powerful platform. Plus, unlike some older PC components, you can still buy this CPU. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is basically spec-for-spec what the PS5 has to offer, with 8 cores and 16 threads. Plus, because it’ll have better power delivery and cooling just by virtue of being in a less-claustrophobic system, it should perform better in a gaming PC than in the PS5.
If you do want to save a bit of money, however, you can easily opt for a Ryzen 5 processor instead, and you won’t really lose much in the way of gaming performance.
XFX Speedster Radeon RX 6800
Graphics Card
XFX Speedster Radeon RX 6800
The Radeon RX 6800 might be a last-gen graphics card, but it’s still more than capable of running most games at a high resolution.
When Sony revealed that the PS5 Pro would have 47% more compute units than the original PS5, I immediately started doing some napkin math to see what the new spec would look like. What I ended up with was a GPU built on the same RDNA 2 architecture, but with 60 compute units – which is exactly what the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is.
The RX 6800 is a last-generation graphics card at this point, but it’s still a powerful piece of hardware, and more importantly, still being sold in stores. The RX 6800 launched for $579 back in 2020, but it’s much more affordable now, typically being found at around $350. Plus, a dedicated graphics card like the RX 6800 will be able to stretch its legs a bit more, primarily because it doesn’t have to share RAM with the processor – it has 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM to play with all on its own.
Patriot Signature Premium 16GB DDR4
RAM
Patriot Patriot Signature Premium 16GB DDR4
This simple RAM from Patriot doesn’t have any flashy RGB lighting but it’s fast enough to get the job done.
Picking the right RAM to go into the system is a bit tricky, mostly because the PS5 shares memory between the CPU and GPU – something that typically doesn’t happen in a gaming PC with a discrete graphics card. However, you do need a good amount of memory to make your system work smoothly, and right now 16GB is about the minimum I’d recommend for a modern gaming rig.
That does mean, when paired with the Radeon RX 6800, the system will technically have 32GB of memory, but because the system memory and the video memory are separate, it’s not directly comparable. You should also keep in mind that the DDR4 Patriot memory here will be much slower than the GDDR6 unified memory in the PS5 Pro. But again, because it’s not being accessed by the GPU, it shouldn’t impact gaming performance too much.
MSI B550M Pro WiFi
Motherboard
MSI B550M Pro WiFi
Without any extra frills, this Micro-ATX motherboard has WiFi built in and a M.2 slot at a budget price.
Just like the CPU is colloquially referred to as the ‘brain’ of your PC, the motherboard is kind of like the extended nervous system, connecting every part of your machine to the processor. There are a lot of really nice motherboards that are packed with shiny features that most people will probably never use. You can absolutely go for something fancy, but you’ll easily spend double or triple what the MSI B550M Pro WiFi will cost you.
It’s not exactly barebones, either, though. The MSI B550M Pro WiFi still has built-in WiFi, so you won’t have to wrestle with an external WiFi adapter to get it connected to the internet. After all, the PS5 Pro has WiFi built in, so this PC should have it too. This affordable board also has an M.2 SSD slot, which isn’t guaranteed in a mid-range motherboard from this generation. That means you can connect a speedy SSD, like what’s found in the PS5 Pro.
WD Black SN770
SSD
Western Digital WD Black SN770
The WD Black SN770 is one of the best PS5 SSDs, so it’s only natural that it’d make for a great gaming PC SSD, too.
Because the MSI motherboard we’re using has a built-in heatsink for the SSD, we don’t need to get a drive with one included, like we would with the PS5. Instead, all we care about is speed and value, and that’s a combination the WD Black SN770 is absolutely nailing right now.
This is a PCIe 4.0 drive, which you can get with up to 2TB of storage at a pretty decent price. The WD Black SN770 advertises speeds up to 5,150 MB/s, and I’ve found it to meet or exceed those numbers when I tested it back in the day. It might not look like much, but this SSD will absolutely match the performance of the PS5 SSD – as much as the Windows storage controller will allow for anyway.
Thermaltake Toughpower GX2
Power Supply
Thermaltake Toughpower GX2
The Thermaltake Toughpower has an 80 Plus Gold certification, and delivers enough juice to keep the Radeon RX 6800 running for years.
Picking a power supply is inherently boring. They’re these little gray boxes that we tuck away into the corner of our PCs, and do our best to hide the cables. But while a power supply isn’t exactly exciting stuff, picking one you can rely on is important. This is another component you can absolutely splurge on if you’re not careful, but if you’re pinching pennies, you should still make sure the Power Supply you’re getting has an 80 Plus Bronze rating or better, so you know it’s at least a bit efficient.
The Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 fits the bill, and I’m going with a 600W option here because that’s what AMD recommends to pair with the Radeon RX 6800. You can go for a higher wattage of course, but it will cost you extra, though that extra cash could come with peace of mind. The important part is to make sure you’re getting a PSU with at least 600W of power, with an 80 Plus Bronze certification.
Cooler Master N200
PC Case
Cooler Master N200
The Cooler Master N200 is an absolutely tiny PC case that will look awesome in your living room.
If you’re building a gaming PC in place of a too-expensive console, you probably don’t also want to have a gigantic tower becoming an eyesore in your living room. Luckily there are so many Micro ATX cases out there that are not much larger than the PS5 itself. The Cooler Master N200 is a tiny little PC case with an unassuming aesthetic and enough space to fit even a high-end graphics card. Plus, there’s even a cut out for a disk drive if you really want to flex on the PS5 Pro.
Is It Worth It?
All together, this system will set you back about $863, which is more expensive than the $699 PS5 Pro. But you really do get more for your money with this gaming PC, even if all you want to do is play games on the thing. Not only do most PS5 games come to PC these days, but you also get access to pretty much any game on the Xbox Series X. A gaming PC inherently has a bigger library of games than any console on the planet.
When the PS5 generation ends, as they all do, your PC will still play new games. Plus, because of the modularity of desktop PCs, you can upgrade any component that’s holding you back, without having to buy an entirely new system like what you’d have to do with the PS5. That’s also true if something breaks. If your PS5 Pro breaks and it’s out of warranty, it’s dead. It’s a block of plastic and metal that’ll never do anything useful again. But if part of your PC breaks, you can open it up and repair or replace whatever component is causing you problems.
A lot has been said about console gaming versus PC gaming, but even if it’s technically less expensive than the PC that we’ve built here, I don’t know if the PS5 Pro is necessarily the cheaper option anymore, especially in the long-term.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
Originally posted: Sep 12, 2024 4:33 pm